Swiftcurrent Creek Generation I

"Dey are," She said, happily. 

She felt as if she glowed; relief swarmed her, to see her children hearty and healthy. She did not yet fully realize how taxing it would be to raise four children- but she believed that she could, especially with Etienne by her side. Arlette and her pack might also yet prove to be welcoming and helpful; she had good reason to be optimistic now that the difficulty of pregnancy and childbirth were over. 

"I be t'inkin' of names for a while," She said. "We 'ave two boys, an' two girls." She gazed down at them, wishing the sun could lift again and afford her a bit more light so that she might have an easier time telling them apart. Currently, their puppy coats were all quite similar; dark, with a tiny amount of ticking along their shoulders. Their size and gender would serve, for some time, as a means of identification, until they began to show markings. 

She smiled. "I t'ink I be knowin' what to call dem now."

For her children, she had chosen names that might honour their heritage- on both sides of the family. 

"Caliste," She motioned to the small female, noting as she gave the girl a kiss that her undercoat was slightly paler than the others, indicative that her fur might lighten as it grew out. A moment later, she was given her second name. "Seahorse."

"Saturin," She kissed the larger of the two boys, who squirmed beneath her hot breath, and began to suckle again. She chuckled; he was the largest of the litter, the hungriest as well. She added, a moment later- "Sea Lion."

"Leonore," She breathed as she kissed the larger of the two females, who wriggled, but remained silent. Suzu smiled. "Barracuda." 

"Requin," The fourth was kissed as well, a male who was similar in both size and hue to Leonore. Their births had come within minutes of one another. She wondered if it might mean the two might continue to be close as they grew. "Shark," She said, with a grin. 

"Dey be livin' a life inland...But I t'ought...Dey should 'ave names like ours, an'..." She shrugged. "Dey might never meet deir fat'er but if dey don't...It be my way of showin' t'anks." She looked to her brother then, hopeful that he might understand.